Come What May
by Noodlez
Summary: Holly Lupin transferred to Hogwarts to finish her last year of school. She did what most new students do in her situation: made new friends. When Holly begins having strange visions about her friends she's forced to figure them out before it's too late.
1. First Impressions

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Harry Potter or anything affiliated with it. Any characters, items, places, etc. that you recognize belong to J.K. Rowling. Everything else is a figment of my own whacky imagination.

**Come What May: A Story of Realizing the Inevitable**

Chapter One: First Impressions

The evening meal took place at precisely 6 o'clock as it had in every year since the founding of the school. The students of the four Houses sat at their respective tables, chatting with friends and dining on the feast Hogwarts' house elves had prepared. The professors sat together at the head table, eating and discussing various aspects of life at the school. Even the ghosts drifted in and out view of the huge company. The enchanted ceiling was beginning to sparkle with a cloudless twilight overhead. The only thing out of place was the seventh year student who stood alone in the small room outside the Great Hall waiting to be invited inside.

She had arrived at Hogwarts only moments ago--a bit short of her intended time--and had missed the beginning of the Start-of-Term feast and the Sorting ceremony. She twiddled her sandy-colored hair nervously, twisting the long locks into spiral cords and then releasing them only to begin the process again. Every few moments she paused to wipe her clammy hands on her robes. The paintings around her smiled and watched, asking polite questions to entertain their rare company.

"What's your name, dearie?" an elderly witch in an ornate, dust-covered frame asked.

"H-holly," stammered the girl while trying to keep from chewing her lip, "Holly Lupin, Madame." she finished, careful to mind her manners and using a French term she had become accustomed to speaking with.

Her accent was a delicate blend of French and British, the dominant being British. After all, she had been raised in England, only moving to Paris when she was of age to begin Wizarding school. Her mother had insisted on putting her only child through Beauxbatons. She had been a Muggle-born French native and attended the school when she was a girl, making her a faithful alumni who thought the world of her alma mater.

On the opposing side was Holly's father, a proud Englishman who had spent his boyhood at Hogwarts. There had been quite the debate as to which school Holly would attend, but eventually her father's job as a head in the Ministry of Magic's department of International Magical Cooperation required him to transfer to Houilles--a small city near Paris--for a time, and Holly was soon enrolled in Beauxbatons.

Her father's term in Houilleshad ended recently, allowing the small family to move back to London and requiring that Holly either be home-schooled or attend her final year at Hogwarts.

A middle-aged wizard in a plumed hat peered at her over the golden edge of his frame, "And what brings you here? Aren't you a little old to be Sorted?"

Holly shuffled her feet, studying the thick carpet with an uneasy gaze, "I'm a transfer student from Beauxbatons. I--"

She was cut off as the door swung open and an older witch stepped inside the room. She wore small square rimmed glasses and her hair was swept into a tight bun. She offered no greeting or smile and she wore a unyielding expression of austerity. Wordlessly, she motioned for Holly to follow her through the door.

"Goodbye." Holly whispered over her shoulder to the paintings.

"Good luck," chorused a few of the portraits.

She turned back and the witch gestured for her to wait at the doorway. An elderly wizard with a huge silver beard stood at a podium just a short distance away addressing the entire Hall. Holly bit her lip and wrung her hands, unable to understand why she was so nervous about a simple Sorting. She was glad no one had noticed her yet; all eyes were on the man at the podium. Something about him certainly commanded respect and Holly tore herself from her worried thoughts to listen to what he was dictating.

"…student will join our numbers today. She hails from Beauxbatons but has arrived at our humble school only moments ago in order to be Sorted."

Holly realized that a few pairs of eyes had begun to wander to her nervous, slouching form and she quickly drew herself up to her full height, coming to less than five and a half feet. She was a small girl; thin but not without a figure. Her golden brown eyes sparkled with anticipation and she pursed her lips as she choked down another wave of anxiety.

-----

Remus Lupin craned his neck, trying to see into the shadowed corner where the new student stood. Professor McGonagall had already placed the stool in the center of the Hall, atop which sat the dusty old Sorting Hat. Remus grinned excitedly as he spotted the girl in the corner. He whirled around, facing the table and his three best friends. The majority of the Marauders sat hunched over a plate on which they had been building a mashed potato monument of one Severus Snape. The nose occupied the greater part of the figure's head, and a broken (and used) toothpick was protruding from a lump on the side of the body that was supposed to resemble an arm holding a wand.

Remus grabbed the dark-haired boy beside him, trying to wrench him from the task of mocking the group's most disliked enemy. "James, look, there she is!"

James brushed Remus' hand from his shoulder, concentrating on the sculpture, "I know, Moony. We all know. We're not deaf. Dumbledore's only been talking about it for ten minutes."

"And you've only been talking about it since we got on the train this morning," added a raven-haired boy from the opposite side of the table. He didn't look up, he merely scooped another helping of potato with his spoon and tried to mold it onto the nose of the Snape figure. It dropped onto the plate with a splat, dragging a bit of the original nose with it. "I can't get this to look life-like…"

The pudgy boy next to him snickered. Remus frowned deeply.

"Sirius, what do you even plan on doing with a mashed potato statue of Snape?"

"Well, Julia took a special interest in Voodoo rituals thanks to that project in Defense class last year…maybe she'll find some use for it." He looked up and smiled mischievously, causing Remus to sigh.

"Can't you just pay attention for a minute? Besides, you need something like a belonging or hair from the victim to practice Voodoo, _and_ it's illegal."

"Well so is being an unregistered Animagus." added the pudgy boy, earning a clap on the back from Sirius.

"Good point, Peter. The legality in question hasn't stopped us from attempting many things, some ideas better than others. In reality it doesn't matter if your action is within the law because if you _act_ like you know what you're doing, no one questions it." His eyes twinkled and James nodded.

"Plus that's all Sirius knows how to do is act like he knows what he's getting into."

Sirius narrowed his eyes at James, then smirked and nonchalantly reached out and knocked a glass of pumpkin juice into his lap.

"Damn it!" James yelped just as the Hall fell silent for the Sorting. A few nearby students snickered and McGonagall shot a stern look at the Gryffindor table. Remus narrowed his eyes and James smiled crookedly at him, all the while trying to mop up the juice from his lap with the tablecloth.

"Just watch, please!" Remus hissed to his friends.

James rolled his eyes, turning to Sirius and Peter, "Alright. C'mon Padfoot, let's humor him before he…Padfoot?"

Sirius was staring ahead at the front of the Hall. His eyes were wide and his mouth hung open slightly. He didn't respond to his nickname or even his real one when Peter tried. His only reaction was to shut his mouth and blink once when James reached over and shoved him.

"Are you alright?" James asked in a hushed voice. All eyes but his and Peter's were on the girl in the front of the room as she approached the Sorting Hat.

Sirius nodded mutely.

"Then say something, you stupid git!"

"Who," Sirius began without taking his eyes off the new student, "is that beautiful girl?"

Remus' head snapped around, his face flushed with irritation, "Don't you even think it! I will not let you practice your womanizing ways on my cousin!"

The reprimand had no effect on Sirius. He didn't even seem to hear it because there was no acknowledgement in his expression, only a blank, dreamy look. He had unconsciously gripped the tablecloth tightly and began whispering a mantra of 'Gryffindor, Gryffindor.' Remus twisted back around to watch the Sorting but James and Peter studied Sirius intensely.

"So much for Julia…" Peter muttered.

-----

Holly lifted the tattered old Sorting Hat from the stool and sat down, pulling the Hat onto her own head and letting it slip down over her eyes.

She heard a tiny voice that seemed to be inside her head, "Hoo my, yes. What do we have here? Quite a bit older than I'm used to dealing with, much different from all the young ones placed today. Where shall we put you? A good head on your shoulders, yes yes, runs in your family it seems. Thirst for knowledge, a good deal of pride. Hm, talent for Divination. Ah, potential to be a Seer perhaps? Ravenclaw might suit you well…and here's a love for nature. That's seems to be a good trait for any Hufflepuff."

Holly tapped her fingers on the underside of the stool. _I wish I could just be with Remus, God knows he'd be able to help me adjust to this place._

"A deep bond with family, my my my, of course. Well Gryffindor would be a fine place for someone with devotion like that, what do you think?"

_Yes! Remus is in Gryffindor!_

"Then again, Slytherins take much pride in their bloodline…you may find a place there also."

_No! Anything but that…_

"You're certain? Alright, sounds like you belong in…"

-----

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Remus leapt to his feet and clapped along with the rest of his House. His cousin removed the Hat from her head and rose from her seat. She walked towards the table bedecked in gold and scarlet, spotting Remus and picking up speed. Remus met his cousin and they embraced, then the pair squeezed into their seats, Remus to his cousin's left and James to her right.

Remus introduced his friends, "Holly, I'd like you to meet James Potter," James shook Holly's hand, smiling, "Peter Pettigrew," Peter offered a small wave and a shy grin, "And--

"And I'm Si--"

"So ends our Start-of-Term feast," Dumbledore had again risen to address the Great Hall's occupants and with the sound of his voice Holly had turned her attention to the elderly wizard.

Sirius mouthed a curse word and James stifled a snicker. While both Remus and Holly were turned away, James and Peter began a pantomime of Sirius' attempt at impressing Holly. James waggled his eyebrows and took Peter's hand, pretending to kiss it and wiggling his brows again. Peter pressed a hand to his cheek in a mock-swoon and batted his eyelashes. The pair then fell into fits of silent laughter as Sirius sat in mute displeasure, glaring back and forth between the two laughing boys. Tears slid down James' cheeks from the laughing fit and he removed his glasses to wipe at his eyes. Sirius seized this chance to grab a handful of the potato-Snape and sling it into his friend's face. James' laughing stopped immediately and Peter's escalated into snorts. The small group began to attract stares from other students and Sirius silenced his other friend by wiping his hand clean of food in Peter's hair.

By the time these escapades had ended, so had Dumbledore's speech. Students were beginning to rise and head for their dormitories. Holly turned back to the table to look at Sirius. He looked impeccably clean in comparison to his food covered counterparts and was doing his best to appear as innocent as possible.

"I, uh, don't think I got your name…" she eyed James and Peter suspiciously.

"It's Sirius," he grinned handsomely. "Sirius Black."

Holly's cheeks flushed pink, but only slightly. Just enough for Sirius to barely notice. Remus stood, doing his best to distract his cousin from Sirius.

"Alright, lets get going. Be sure to memorize this, Holly. We're going to Gryffindor Tower. Your dormitory is there and so is the common room where you can sit and relax and do homework. You know, whatever." he said.

Holly nodded. A group of girls approached lead by a redhead. She extended a hand to Holly who accepted it.

"Hello, I'm Lily Evans."

"Potter." James chimed in. Peter sighed and put his face in his hands.

Lily rolled her eyes, "I'm Head Girl of Gryffindor. I just wanted to welcome you and tell you that if you needed help with anything you could come to me."

"Thank you." Holly smiled. The other girls introduced themselves as Rosaline Bufford and Elaina O'Connor. Holly shook each of their hands in turn.

Lily looked to Remus, "Maybe I should show her around a bit. You know, help her get her bearings without…," she surveyed the other Marauders, "distractions."

Remus chanced a glance to his cousin who was being baited into conversation with Sirius. The boy was explaining the finer points of Astrology and Holly was visibly biting back laughter as Sirius pronounced two constellations wrong in a row.

"I'm sure you realize then that you're named after a star?" she inquired.

"'Course! Sirius: the Dog Star! Brightest star in the sky." he grinned, proud of himself.

"Fascinating…" Holly turned to Remus, barely holding her laughter inside. "Can we go?"

Remus shot Sirius a look, then gestured to Lily. "I was thinking Lily could show you around. You'll be sharing a room with her for the year after all. You two may as well get to know each other now."

"Alright." Holly stepped up to Lily, finally someone who was closer to her own height.

"But we're going the same way!" Sirius protested.

"I _said_ Holly should get to know her dorm-mates…"

Holly smothered a giggle. Lily bid the boys goodbye. James blew her a kiss and she grinned and made a show of pretending to catch it and put it in her pocket. Potter's eyes lit up and a wide smile split his face.

"See you in the morning, Holly." Remus said, waving his cousin and Lily off.

-----

"…is the oldest school in Wizarding England. It was founded by--"

"Lily?"

Lily stopped her lecture (reciting passages from _Hogwarts: A History_) and looked at Holly, "Yes?"

"Tell me about Sirius."

"I hope you mean the star…"

Holly smiled earnestly, "No. Sirius Black."

"Why in the world would you want me to tell you about him?"

"Well, I dunno," Holly's eyes drifted downward thoughtfully, "he just seems interesting. Like he's quite the character."

"Well I see you're as perceptive as Remus…"

Holly grinned wickedly at her guide, "Alright, then tell me about James Potter."

Lily's cheeks reddened ever-so-slightly, "I'd rather not."

"Then Sirius it is."

Lily sighed, "Maybe later. You've got more pressing things to concentrate on."

"Fair enough," Holly smiled cheekily.

-----

The Marauders walked slowly to Gryffindor Tower, Remus being sure to keep them a distance behind Lily and Holly. James bounced along happily, Peter walking at double-time to keep pace with him. Sirius walked at Remus' shoulder.

"She laughed at me," Sirius thought aloud, "How did that happen? That never happens!"

Remus spoke without turning to face Sirius, "Because you tried the Astrology bit on her and she's already proficient in the subject. She does practice Divination, you know. Or you _would_ have known had you listened to anything I was telling you on the train."

Sirius rubbed the back of his neck, "Doesn't work on all girls, does it? No, what we've got here is a thinker…"

"Hmph!"

"Damn you and your brainy family."

Peter butted in, "Why don't you just talk to her like you do us?"

"Stuff it, Wormtail, like you know anything about girls."

Peter blushed.

"You've gotta set us up, Moony. There's no other way about it. She's your family and she'll listen to--"

"No." Remus cut him off, annoyed.

"Listen, it's embarrassing enough to have to ask for someone's help in this department. I've never had this problem before. But--"

"No."

"Moony, you've got to--"

"Damnit, Sirius, I said no!" Remus stopped abruptly, causing Sirius to bump into him. He whirled around to face Sirius, drawing in a breath to be at eye-level with the taller boy. Sirius blinked at him confusedly. "I already told you, I won't have you conning my cousin into dating you. You'll lose interest just like you do with all the other girls and she'll only get hurt."

Sirius raised his eyebrows and put a hand to his heart, "Remus, I'm hurt. Do you really think so little of me?"

"Yes." Remus turned his back and resumed walking towards the dormitories. Peter smiled awkwardly at Sirius and sped up to catch Remus. James stepped to Sirius' side and draped an arm over his shoulders.

"He didn't mean that, Padfoot. He's just being protective." The pair began walking again. "You'll win them both over eventually."

Sirius grinned playfully, raising his own arm around James' shoulders, "Well I'm not giving up until I do."

"I didn't figure," James snorted.

-----

**Author's Note:** So begins a new adventure I've been mapping out and procrastinating upon for about two years. I hope you enjoyed chapter one and stick around for CWM2 very soon. Thanks for you support; constructive criticism is appreciated and flames will be used to make s'mores. :)


	2. Gossiping Girls and Ambiguous Insight

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Harry Potter or anything affiliated with it. Any characters, items, places, etc. that you recognize belong to J.K. Rowling. Everything else is a figment of my own whacky imagination.

**Come What May: A Story of Realizing the Inevitable**

Chapter Two: Gossiping Girls and Ambiguous Insight

Holly spent her first night at Hogwarts rather comfortably. Her room was cozy and her roommates (Lily, Rosaline, Elaina, Megan Proctor, and Catherine Fischer) were all sociable. Holly especially liked Lily and Rosaline; they reminded her of friends she'd roomed with while at Beauxbatons.

Lily was studious and intelligent, and Holly respected that. She was somewhat of a bookworm herself and studied hard to earn her marks. Holly could see the two of them spending a large amount of time together in the library and common room working in the future.

Rosaline on the other hand was athletically driven. She was a Chaser on the House Quidditch team--the only girl who'd managed to remain on the team since her first year--and co-captain with Seeker James Potter. She moved with speed and grace, whether walking or flying, and seemed to have a competitive attitude which didn't allow her to back down from anything. As a child Holly had learned to play Quidditch and had developed quite a talent for catching the Snitch but she had never played for a school team, instead occupying herself with her studies.

The five Hogwarts veterans had many questions for Holly concerning her school, her former home, her father's job, and of course, French boys. She answered them enthusiastically, speaking as lovingly of Beauxbatons as her new friends did of Hogwarts. The school had become a home to them all.

"Beauxbatons is such a beautiful place. You can just feel the magic pulsing through every stone. The instructors are extremely qualified and I'd say they're all a good deal younger than the professors I've seen here so far. Hogwarts seems nice though." Holly said fondly.

"It is, it's marvelous, really. I'd always thought magic was just made up. It all sounded like something from a fairy tale. But when I came here I could just feel it was right. I had to be a part of it. It all seemed like a dream that I didn't want to wake up from." Lily sighed. "My parents were proud, but my sister…oh she hated it. I wasn't 'Normal.'" She laughed.

"I know how that feels. I was used to magic; my parents were Aurors. Then there was the attack on the Ministry when we were all about eight…" Elaina trailed off sadly.

Holly looked around at the other girls' faces. They were all solemn. Holly knew the Wizarding World was under the threat of a brewing war, but she hadn't had any experiences with anyone closely tied to the war. The attacks had taken place mostly in England while she had been safely living in France.

Elaina continued, "They were both killed and I went into the foster care system."

She smiled glumly at Holly and went on to explain how when she'd received her Hogwarts letter her Muggle foster parents had become afraid of her. Unable to accept their foster child's magical heritage, the couple sent Elaina to school and moved away while she was gone. Since then Elaina had moved in with Megan but still regarded Hogwarts as her true home.

"Some day I'd really love to be a professor here. I'd love to stay for years and years until I'm a grumpy old witch who can't even hear her students anymore!" she laughed and the other girls joined.

Catherine pulled a pillow into her lap and grinned slyly at Holly, "So tell us about these French lads at Beauxbatons…"

Her memory jarred, Holly skillfully changed topics. "No, I've done enough story-telling." She turned and smiled at Lily. "Tell me about Sirius Black."

Megan and Elaina giggled loudly at the mention of the name; Catherine hugged the pillow tighter and Rosaline smiled.

Holly looked up at Lily, who had risen from her seat on the bed across the room. Holly patted the spot next to her, "Come on now, you told me later and I think," she glanced at the clock, "11:45 is later."

Lily shook her head, "I think 11:45 is time for bed. Good night girls." And with that she climbed into her four-poster and drew the curtains around her.

"Spoil sport."

Megan leaned close, her eyes glimmering naughtily, "I can tell you about Sirius Black."

Holly shrugged, "That's fine. I spoke with him a bit earlier and he seemed intriguing. Lily just refuses to speak of him."

"Well that's just because the only boy she's ever got on her mind is James Potter," Rosaline interjected, saying the last two words more loudly than the others.

A snort of indignation came from the curtained bed. The other girls laughed and Megan continued.

"Okay, so you want to know about Sirius? Well he's your typical tall-dark-and-handsome type. Probably dated most of the girls in our year in all four Houses."

"And some a year or two below us." Catherine added knowingly, her face animated.

"That's right. So let me guess, he's after you already? Sounds about his style," questioned Megan.

Holly reddened, "Perhaps. He gave me the impression that he was trying to flirt, and he made Remus pretty upset…"

"Oh Remus is a doll. He's probably already in the know of what Sirius is up to."

Elaina nodded and grinned dreamily, "He's a sweetheart. I think he's better looking than Sirius and James both."

Holly wrinkled her nose and Rosaline giggled, "Well that's because you've never seen either of them change clothes."

Four pairs of wide eyes turned to Rosaline.

"You can't possibly mean you have. How'd you manage that?!"

"Well there is only one locker room for Quidditch…it's kind of supposed to be common courtesy to avert your eyes. I just don't believe in those sort of social graces." Her eyes twinkled.

"Lucky."

A fit of giggles.

Holly tilted her head to the side, "So James and Sirius both play Quidditch?"

"Yeah," Rosaline said, "James is the best Seeker I've ever seen, and Sirius is a ruthless Beater. We haven't lost the Cup yet since those two made the team. Hardly a Bludger has ever come close to James with Sirius constantly hovering around. And all those long practices swinging a club around really works his arms and shoulders!"

Another spell of laughter.

"Girls, that's enough gossiping. First day of class tomorrow, time for--" but the rest of Lily's words were caught in a yawn.

Megan nodded, "We can talk more at breakfast. Lily's right, good night girls."

The girls crawled off Holly's bed and retreated to their own. Holly drew the curtains around her and curled into a ball under the covers. As she drifted off to sleep her imagination wandered to a certain individual in his boxers. Holly giggled to herself and finally managed to push the thought from her mind.

---

The Marauders bounded down the stairs towards the Great Hall for breakfast, James in the lead. Peter trailed behind his longer-legged friends as usual, calling for the others to wait up. Remus slowed a bit but Sirius and James continued to race each other. The first helping of pancakes depended on who was the fastest.

Sirius slid across the marble floor at the entrance of the Great Hall, barely nudging ahead of James. Seeing his chance, James slung Sirius by the neck of his robes into a group of Ravenclaw third-years. Potter flopped down onto the bench at the Gryffindor table and piled his plate high with hot pancakes.

"Victory!" he shouted as he dumped syrup on the flapjacks.

Remus sat across from him and Peter slumped into the seat next to Remus.

"Where's Sirius?" Peter asked as James lifted the first bite to his mouth.

"Right here!" the forkful of breakfast food was snatched from James' grasp and quickly shoveled into Sirius' mouth.

James narrowed his eyes and was rewarded with a smack on the back of the head. Sirius dropped the fork onto James' lap.

"Don't pull any dirty tricks next time, Prongs. You can't cheat a fellow Marauder without getting your just desserts." Sirius grinned in a self-satisfied manner and shoved James a little in order to sit down.

"You're a prat."

"And don't you forget it."

Remus chuckled and spooned a helping of eggs onto his plate. Sirius pulled out a roll of parchment and spread it on the table in front of him.

"Let's see what we've got here…alright, first is Divination."

"What did you take a useless class like that for? It's nothing but a bunch of mushy tea leaves and stinking incense." Remus said contemptuously.

"I dunno," Sirius shrugged, "None of the other choices sounded interesting. What'd you take, Arithmancy?"

"Ancient Runes."

"That's right, you've already taken _advanced_ Arithmancy. What about you James?"

James checked his own schedule. "I've got Transfiguration first."

"Me too," Peter added.

Sirius nodded, "Second is double Potions with Slytherin--

"Bloody hell, that never fails!" James said around a mouthful of food, spraying bits of mush at Remus and Peter. Peter wrinkled his nose and brushed the crumbs off his robes. "Oh here, I got it. Scourgify."

Peter's robes erupted in foam and bubbles at James' command. The poor boy tried to swat the bubbles away but only succeeded in spattering Remus and his eggs with them. James laughed and nearly choked on his food. Sirius ignored his friends and continued to look over his schedule.

A roar of laughter drew the boys' attention to the far end of the table. Gryffindor's seventh year girls sat huddled together talking excitedly. Sirius smiled and began to rise but James hauled him back into his seat.

"Not now, Padfoot, you'll only make an ass of yourself."

Sirius wrenched his arm from James' grasp, picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder.

"I was just getting ready to head to class, that's all." He turned on his heel and bumped into Jason Huels, a seventh year Slytherin. Jason was accompanied by Darell Knott and Severus Snape. Snape sneered at Sirius who returned the greeting.

"Watch where you're going, Black." drawled Huels. "You've got a nasty habit of getting in people's ways."

James growled from his seat but Sirius raised a hand to stop him from retorting.  
He smiled at Jason, "Don't you have some first years to bully? Some Christmas money to steal maybe?"

Huels didn't pause, "Your cousin Bella tells me that you've run off from home. Daddy's rage get to be a bit much for the little rebel?" His eyes flashed. "What a shame. Just when the stories were getting interesting."

Without hesitation Sirius' wand found it's way to Jason's face. The other didn't flinch, but instead smiled viciously.

"Touchy subject?"

"Sirius!" A pair of small, delicate hands seized Sirius by the arm. "What's going on?"

He looked down at Holly who was peering up at him worriedly. She, like many surrounding students, had noticed the argument brewing, and had come to investigate.

Snape turned his nose up at the tiny girl at Sirius' side, "Filthy half-blood…"

"What?" Holly's attention turned to the greasy-haired boy. She felt Sirius tense further. By now James and Remus both were on their feet. Professors were starting to notice the small dispute and head for the group of boys. "What did you call me?" Holly asked Snape dubiously.

Huels interjected, "Learn your place and don't speak to your superiors." He turned and walked briskly away, Knott following at his heels. Holly stared after them and Snape lingered for one last crack at the puzzled girl.

"Your family is full of garbage like you. Half-breeds and monsters," his eyes shifted to Remus who fixed him with a fierce stare.

Sirius lunged forward and with his free hand landed and clean blow on Snape's jaw. The Slytherin's head jerked sideways and spittle flew from his mouth. He staggered backwards a few steps. When he regained his balance he instinctually brought his wand to shoulder height. The professors were closing in as James latched onto Sirius to restrain him. Remus clambered over the table, scattering food and dishes in the process. He placed himself between the quarreling boys but Snape shot a hex over his shoulder.

_"Sectumsempra!"_

Peter shouted shrilly, "Look out!"

Remus conjured a shield quickly enough to keep his friends from being slashed, but the force of the blow sent James and Sirius reeling. They both flew backwards onto the floor, knocking Holly sideways onto a gathering group of spectators. Professor McGonagall had reached the group, closely followed by the Ravenclaw head of House, Professor Quigley. Remus helped Holly to her feet as James and Sirius picked themselves up off the floor. Quigley placed a hand on Snape's shoulder but Snape pulled away, wiping a prick of blood from his lip with his sleeve. McGonagall's face reddened with vehemence.

"One day into the school year and you boys are already fighting?!" she bellowed. "Come with me." She grabbed Snape and Sirius both by the sleeve and lead them away.

James readjusted his glasses and looked to Remus, "He gets more sadistic every year. I really think he meant to hurt Sirius with that."

"No," Remus shook his head, "He wouldn't be that reckless."

"Wouldn't he?" Suspicious.

Remus paused thoughtfully, "Only if…something's changed…" he trailed off meaningfully.

Holly watched the boys debate back and forth, finally butting in, "Would someone mind telling me who that was and how he knew about my mother and your…condition."

James frowned, looking over Holly's head to the doorway as if he expected Sirius to return, penalty-free. "That was Severus Snape. He's from one of the oldest and most prestigious, pure-blooded families in the Wizarding World. People like that make it their business to know about everyone. He takes special pleasure in snubbing people who aren't as 'pure' as he is."

"Or anyone, for that matter." Peter added. Remus nodded.

"He and Sirius have always had an exceptional _dislike_ for each other."

"Not that any of us like him much better," muttered James.

Holly's brow crinkled as Professor Quigley waved his arms, shooing students off to class.

"Alright, show's over. Move along, you'll be late."

Lily appeared at Holly's shoulder, "Come one, we'd better get going. You've got Divination first so I'll walk you part way there, but then I've got to get to Charms class." Lily rushed her friend out of the Great Hall.

"Good luck, Holly." Remus called after his cousin.

Holly waved and smiled as Remus, James, and Peter faded into the mass of students hurrying to class.

---

Finally reaching the top of the silver ladder, Holly heaved herself through the trapdoor and into a stuffy room that reminded her of the attic in her grandparents' home in Dunkerque. She walked through a small space between bookshelves that lead her to an opening in which a number of small, low tables were crowded. Large pillows sat on the floor to serve as seats. Glancing around Holly could see an assortment of tea cups arranged in a glass cabinet, about twenty crystal balls stacked in a pyramid in the corner of the room, and a number of tall candelabras with stubs of candles in their ornamental holders. Everything was coated with a thin layer of dust. Even the purring tabby in the corner armchair was flecked with gray that enabled it to blend with its surroundings. Holly took a deep breath of the stale air and closed her eyes. This place helped her summon up memories of her early childhood when her mother would practice Divining rituals, drawing the thick curtains in their parlor and burning incense while trying to discern Ouija.

She seated herself at one of the tables closer to the empty fireplace, sinking into the purple cushion as other students filed into the room. Their professor was nowhere to be seen and the students sat around talking in hushed voices. One by one the tables filled until only the emerald cushion opposite Holly was left vacant. Holly shrugged to herself, accepting the fact that she would at least be temporarily without a companion.

"Maybe the cat will cozy up to me…" she sighed as a bag was slammed onto the floor on the other side of the table. Someone landed heavily on the green cushion, folded their arms on the table, and laid their head down with an agitated groan.

Holly bit her lip, then ventured to question the newcomer.

"Uhm, hello?" She offered.

Her 'partner' raised his head to reveal clear blue eyes that shone under the curtain of ebony hair. He sat up quickly, a surprised look playing about his features.

"Holly? I didn't know you would be taking this class. Remus told us you were already an expert Diviner."

Holly grinned weakly, "Well I'm no expert. I just kind of have a knack for it I guess. My mother did too."

Her eyes locked with Sirius' and he smiled genuinely. His expression was infectious and Holly found herself smiling back willingly. A POOF! from the fireplace startled both of them as a fire crackled suddenly, lending light to the entire classroom. A figure who no one had noticed before stepped from the shadows in the back of the room, startling a group of girls at the far table.  
She wore deep blue robes with silver moons patterned on them. Her hair was black with fine streaks of gray scattered throughout and her skin was the color of alabaster. Almond-shaped eyes glinted with the firelight and perfectly straight teeth shone in a wide smile.

"Welcome to Divination class. My name is Professor DuBois and I will be your instructor this year." She paused and surveyed the room, taking a few steps forward in order to center herself in the crowd of students. "Divination is a difficult art--yes, it is an art, not just a subject to be studied--but I will guide you in the use of your Inner Eye."

Her eyes fell on Holly and her expression changed to one of approval. She moved closer to Holly and Sirius' table.

"You have a strong aura about you, dear girl. Might you be our new student?"

Holly raised her eyebrows, "Yes, did you recognize me from the Sorting?"

"No, no," DuBois replied, smiling again, "I noticed your accent when you spoke to your friend here. I'll expect great things from you in this class."

Holly blinked up at her.

DuBois strolled away and seated herself in an armchair near the fire. The cat leapt from its previous perch and settled on it's master's lap. She stroked the feline and continued.

"In the first half of this year we will study a few of the simpler arts such as Graphology, Numerology, Oneiromancy--the study of dreams, Scrying, and Cartomancy. By our second semester we will begin more difficult arts like Ailuromancy using my cat here, Palmistry, and Pyroscopy."

Holly spared a momentary look to Sirius and had to stifle a giggle when she saw his jaw hanging slack. Obviously he hadn't known what he was getting into when he chose the class.

"This is gonna be a rough year…" Holly heard him mutter and couldn't help but grin.

DuBois produced a wand for seemingly nowhere and summoned a multitude of decks of cards, "I thought we'd start the year off with a bit of fun." She sent a deck of cards to each table and instructed the students to shuffle them. "Today we'll all try our hands at Tarot reading. Get out your textbooks and deal the cards for your partner."

Sirius heaved a sigh and pulled out a thick, purple-bound tome and dropped it onto the table with a thud. Holly smiled and handed him the deck of Tarot cards.

"Here, you go first."

Sirius accepted the cards and smiled sarcastically, "Oh thank you, I'm _dying_ to try this."

Holly giggled girlishly which seemed to ease Sirius. "It's not that hard. Just shuffle first--there you go--then let me cut the deck. Okay, now deal four cards, don't turn them around, it depends on which way they face. Now arrange them in a diamond. Good."

Sirius laughed, "Why are you taking this class? I'll wager you already know how to do everything Professor DuBois listed."

"A lot of it, but some things I've only read about."

"Ah, so you're a bookworm like Remus?" he smiled. "Alright, _Professor Lupin_, let's see what your future holds…" He surveyed the cards, matching each to it's section in the textbook. "Let's see, you've got a Magician here…and it's right side up, so that means you have a strong ability to see beyond the ordinary physical world. No kidding…uhm, here's a High Priestess which means you'll be enlightened through mistakes. That one's Temperance meaning you're out of balance…but at harmony?"

"Not quite," Holly laughed, "You started out well but I think you confused yourself along the way."

"Happens to the best of us." He crossed his arms behind his head and grinning lopsidedly. He scratched his head, then picked up the cards and held them out to Holly. "Here. Enlighten me."

Holly reached out to take the cards from her cousin's friend. Her fingers brushed his and with the contact her mind exploded with images and voices.

_Blue flash.  
Searing pain as ribs shattered.  
Eyes glowed crimson in close proximity to her face._

Holly jumped, startled. Sirius was looking at her with concern.

"Are you alright?"

She swallowed hard, replying shakily, "I-I think so."

"Sure?"

She managed a feeble smile, "Yeah. Here, it's my turn."

"Okay." Sirius' eyes didn't leave her face as she shuffled the deck, cut the cards, and dealt the spread.

"First is the Emperor. In this position he means you have wisdom and power. It also means you value the female partner of your choice."

A Ravenclaw girl at the next table laughed sardonically. Sirius rolled his eyes and sighed, Holly continued, biting back a smile.

"This one," she tapped a card depicting a woman with a sword in one hand and a scale in the other, "is Justice. She says that you're being judged, but that you balance passion with honor, so you will pass the judgment and be successful." Sirius puffed up proudly as Holly moved onto the next card. "He's the hanged man, which symbolizes self-sacrifice. And here," her eyes shifted to the fourth card for the first time and she inhaled sharply.

Sirius glanced down, finally taking his eyes off Holly, "Death."

Holly put a finger to the card and her mind jolted away from the present again.

_A child was screaming, "Leave us alone!"  
High-pitched laughter--a woman.  
"Your cousin's told me all about you…" a smooth voice._

She struggled to keep a calm voice, her vision still swimming with images, "It's a warning. You have to pay careful attention to your life, especially those close to you." She couldn't see Sirius but she felt his firm grip on her arms.

_White flash._

_Sirius stood in what looked like a cavernous hospital room facing away from an occupied bed, his head hanging sadly. The right sleeve of his robes torn almost completely off. Holly stood between Sirius and the bed. She reached out to touch his shoulder, the back of which was bleeding badly._

_"That can be healed, Sirius."_

_Sirius whirled around, tears in his eyes, "Leave it!"_

"You're going to lose someone. Someone you were once close with…" she slumped, exhausted from her visions. When her head cleared she could still feel Sirius holding onto her arms, and she heard him calling her name.

"Holly! Snap out of it! Come back to me, Holly. Come on!" he shook her gently.

She looked around bewildered and saw Professor DuBois was standing over her, watching her calmly. Holly shook her head to rid herself of the disturbing images she'd seen and DuBois smiled.

"See something, dear? Your aura, which was already particularly strong, flared to incredible brightness for a few moments."

Sirius looked from Holly to DuBois, "What does that mean?"

"It means," DuBois studied Holly prudently, "that she was looking into the shrouded mystery of the future. Very advanced for one so young."

Students were whispering to each other. Holly realized she was twisting her hair--a nervous habit--and quickly tore her hand away.  
DuBois looked to the class, raising a long-fingered hand to her temple, "You should begin packing your things, class is over. I look forward to seeing you all again. For your homework you should keep a detailed diary of your dreams for the next two weeks. We will be using this diary not only for Oneiromancy but in analyzing handwriting using Graphology as well. Until next class, farewell." A POOF! from the fireplace, a cloud of smoke, and DuBois had disappeared.

"She sure is showy, isn't she?" a Hufflepuff boy said.

The students rose and began exiting the classroom but Holly stayed firmly seated on her cushion, staring at the table and holding her head. Sirius stood and picked up both his and Holly's schoolbags, slinging them over one shoulder. He offered her his hand.

"Come on, I'll show you to Potions."

She looked up and he smiled ineffectively. She sighed and took his hand, allowing him to pull her to her feet.

"Not too fast now, don't want you to get dizzy." He tilted his head to the side and she held her hand out for her bag. "No, I've got it."

Holly's hands went immediately to her hips and she fixed him with a harsh gaze that plainly said 'I can handle it!' He smiled down at her (the top of her head barely cleared his shoulders) and winked, then turned and walked away with both bags in tow. Holly's frown melted into a look of contentment and she sighed again and followed Sirius to the trapdoor.

-----

**Author's Note:** A little bit longer than the last chapter. My computer pulled a nice trick called 'blue-screen-of-death' and I lost the files I had saved. A dear friend of mine helped me to recover everything and I've tried to comb over this and replace all the paragraphs and italics that got erased or changed. If anyone finds any mistakes please notify me. Thanks for reading and look forward to CWM3 in the coming weeks.


	3. The Softer Side of Sirius Black

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Harry Potter or anything affiliated with it. Any characters, items, places, etc. that you recognize belong to J.K. Rowling. Everything else is a figment of my own whacky imagination.

**Come What May: A Story of Realizing the Inevitable**

Chapter Three: Lydia

Sirius plopped himself onto a stool between Remus and James in the dank Potions dungeon, summoning his pewter cauldron from the storage room adjacent to the classroom. Upon arriving he had made sure Holly was safely seated on a stool near Lily--who had studied him shrewdly--then turned to his friends. Remus had looked a little perturbed that Sirius had escorted his cousin to class.

"I can't believe you two have a class together without anyone to chaperone you…" he sighed when Sirius told him about their being partners in Divination.

Sirius chanced a quick look at Holly and Lily who were now deep in conversation before turning to Remus again. "She kind of went barmy for a minute."

Remus' brow creased with worry, "What do you mean?"

"Well," Sirius continued in hushed tones, causing James to lean closer to hear, "we were reading Tarot cards and when I handed her the deck she touched my hand for a second and I felt a spark or something. Next thing, her eyes are rolling back in her head and she starts giving off these really powerful vibes. She looked like she was trying to talk but couldn't, then she just snapped out of it."

Remus rubbed his chin thoughtfully, his eyes darting to his cousin.

James whispered to the others, "Was she Seeing? Your said yourself that she was pretty practiced in Divination, Moony."

"That's what DuBois said she was doing after it happened the second time. She could kind of talk through it that time, she managed to tell me what my cards meant." Sirius nodded.

"What triggered the second bout?"

This time it was Sirius who looked concerned, "She looked at my last card. Death."

"Death?!" the other boys chorused. Peter, who had been listening intently from the other side of Remus, let his jaw drop.

"Yeah. She said it was a warning. That I was going to lose someone."

"Y-you don't believe in that sort of th-thing, do you?" Peter nervously stuttered.

"No, but she saw something and it scared her. She didn't go back to normal after that fit. She couldn't even stand on her own."

James opened his mouth to comment but was cut off by the entrance of their Potions instructor, Professor Delgado. She was a young professor, maybe thirty, but she acted far older. Being a former occupant of the Slytherin House, she held students of her former House in high regard. They, in turn, held her in utmost respect--a position rarely granted to a Hogwarts professor by the proud inhabitants of Slytherin. She was patient and intelligent, but she would not put up with clowning around in her classroom. Her tolerance level for immaturity was very low, so she had never cared much for James and Sirius' antics. Since the Marauders' first year, she had been teaching them to make potions of varying difficulty. Today would be no different.

She wrote three ingredients on the board in delicate lettering, then turned to the class. Scarab beetles, ginger roots, armadillo bile.

"This is the formula for Wit-Sharpening Potion. As some of you will need it," her eyes wandered to Ryan Ashby, a Gryffindor notorious for his dim-witted blunders, causing a few students to snicker, "I suggest you take special care in the amount of each ingredient you use. Too much of the scarab beetle will turn this delicate concoction into a Speech-Slurring Draught which could cause the drinker to appear quite intoxicated."

More snickers.

Delgado leaned on her desk and surveyed the room with a serene gaze, "Boil for fifteen minutes, simmer for thirty. Let it cool completely, then boil it for another 5 minutes before removing from heat. Begin."

The students gathered their ingredients from the cabinets and set to their work.

"Hey, Padfoot," James said to Sirius as he began smashing his scarabs into a fine powder with his pestle, "Do you think she Saw who you'd supposedly lose?"

Sirius tossed his hair out of his face, "Well I would hope that she'd tell me if she did, James. I don't think she would keep something like that a secret!"

-----

"I'm going to fail this class!"

Lily smiled gently at her new friend, "Why do you say that?"

Holly waved her arms frantically at her cauldron which was about to bubble over with frothy green liquid. Lily tilted her head to the side and examined the brew. She looked to her own potion which was in its simmering stage. It had turned a deep crimson by now, as had nearly everyone else's in the dungeon.

Lily subdued a bout of laughter.

"It's…green."

"No kidding." Holly said, sounding desperate, "I don't know where I went wrong. I've always done so poorly at brewing potions."

Lily shrugged and waved her wand over the cauldron, causing the potion to disappear. "Can't be good at everything."

"Says she who is…"

The redhead rolled her eyes, "C'mon, let's get you started again."

She and Holly strode to the cabinet to start again on Holly's work. As they passed the Marauders, Sirius caught Holly's eye. He grinned charmingly and she smiled and offered a small wave. Lily shoved vials of ingredients into her arms, startling her from her distraction. The girls returned to their seats and set to work. As Holly measured the correct amount of armadillo bile she glanced over to Sirius again. An uneasy feeling came over her as she recalled the visions from that morning.

"Hey Lily?"

"Hm?"

Holly chewed her lip uncertainly before continuing. The pause made Lily look up.

"What is it, Holly?"

Hesitation, then, "What do you know about having strange visions?"

Lily stopped stirring her potion, "What?"

Inhaling deeply, Holly explained the morning's events, "I had some kind of hallucination, I think. It happened in class."

"A hallucination?" asked Lily in a quiet voice.

"Yeah," Holly nodded slowly, "Professor DuBois said my aura was really strong during the visions, but she didn't ask what they were about."

"Do you think it was just the fumes from being in that tower. Merlin knows what kind of incense she's using up there…"

Holly smiled a little, "No, it wasn't the incense. We were reading Tarot cards and my vision went black. Then I started hearing people. They were screaming."

Lily frowned and Holly continued.

"I could feel it, too. Like whatever was going on was happening to me. My ribs hurt something awful and someone started laughing. Gave me the willies."

"So," Lily interrupted, "someone was laughing while other people were screaming? Or were these two different visions?"

"No it was the same one. It sounded like a woman; she had a sinister sort of laugh. A kid was yelling 'leave us alone' but I didn't recognize the voice. Then there were these red eyes, right up in my face. "

Lily pressed her lips into a thin line as she thought. "Anything else?"

Holly started to tell her about the vision concerning Sirius but stopped herself. She didn't want to make Lily worry about any more than she had already dumped on her.

"No, that's all." She lied.

Holly watched her friend as her sharp mind considered the story. She wasn't sure how far Lily's knowledge of Divination and Seeing went, but she was the only help Holly had. Remus may have known something but he could also tell when his own cousin was lying to him and would demand the rest of the story. It was better to analyze this in pieces.

Still, she couldn't help wondering why Sirius had triggered that kind of reaction in her. None of the visions even concerned him except for the last one. Holly closed her eyes and pictured the scene again. What had Sirius been doing that would have gotten him so bloodied up? And what had gotten him so upset? Holly looked across the dungeon at Sirius. He was laughing with Remus--not a care in the world. Remus.

"'_Your cousin's told me all about you…_'" she whispered.

"What's that?" Lily asked.

"Nothing." Holly didn't look up. She sat quietly stirring her ingredients while trying to collect her thoughts. What could Remus have to do with all this?

"Time is up!"

Holly's head snapped up with a start. Delgado was standing at the head of the room with a bit of parchment and a quill. Holly looked down at her potion which had turned a sparkling amber color.

"Merde…" she grumbled.

As Delgado walked around the room she made marks on the parchment.

She reached Holly's cauldron and cocked an eyebrow.

"I knew someone would manage it. But I didn't think it would be a Lupin." she said, surprised.

Holly sighed.

"We'll have to work on that."

"Thank you, professor." She sighed, her shoulders sagging.

Lily smiled sympathetically at Holly as her own potion received a perfect score.  
As Delgado walked away Lily leaned over, "We'll see what we can do about getting you a tutor."

Holly put her cauldron away and picked her schoolbag up, "Let's just get to lunch."

She glanced to the back of the room at her cousin and his friends. Delgado was smiling down at the lot of them. Their potions all shone ruby in their cauldrons. Holly looked at the floor.

"Even Sirius can do it…"

Rosaline and Elaina approached Lily and Holly from across the room.

"That's not saying much. He's not as dumb as he may act." Rosaline said in response to Holly's moment of self-pity.

"Really," Holly said as the girls exited the dungeons, "and how is it you know so much about Sirius?"

Elaina grinned impishly, "Well we did say he'd dated most of the girls in our year…Rosaline had the pleasure of being one of the Gryffindor girls."

-----

Peter sighed with relief as Delgado rewarded him with a passing mark on his potion,"Thanks, Remus. I never would have made that potion right without you helping."

"Don't mention it, Peter." Remus smiled.

The boys picked up their things and headed to the Great Hall.

"What did you and Snape end up getting, Padfoot? One, two detentions?" James asked playfully.

"Four," Sirius said gloomily, "I just hope it doesn't keep me from Quidditch."

"I think we can try to schedule practice around that. Rosaline will understand."

Sirius heaved a sigh.

"Or we could just kick you off the team and hold tryouts," Sirius glared daggers at him, "Kidding, kidding. We already have an excellent team. Besides, you know you're irreplaceable as a Beater."

As they walked to lunch they passed a small girl who was standing alone in the entrance of the Great Hall. Her auburn hair was plaited and she wore yellow ribbons at the ends. A few bits were plastered to her cheeks with wetness and upon closer examination one could see that she had been crying. She was one of the six newly Sorted Gryffindor first years and her countenance was sad and abandoned. Sirius stopped listening to James' rant on Quidditch and looked at the girl. He halted and the other boys took a few steps before noticing.  
James stopped and turned back around to face his friend, "What are you doing, Padfoot? Come on, you're wasting our meal time!"

"Go on ahead," Sirius waved them off as he approached the girl, "I'll catch up to you guys later."

"Suit yourself." James said lightly, whirling around and heading for the tables.  
Sirius walked slowly up to the girl. Her head was lowered and she hadn't become aware of his presence yet. She trembled with silent sobbing as she fidgeted with her wand.

"Hey there. What's the matter?" Sirius said softly, finally reaching the girl and taking a knee in front of her to be at eye-level.

She looked up, startled. Her gray eyes were tinted pink and were now slightly puffy from crying. Quickly, she rubbed at her face with her sleeve as if trying to hide the fact that she had been weeping. Sirius smiled gently and pretended not to notice.

"Nothing. I'm fine." She said.

"That's better. What's your name?"

She looked him over skeptically, "Lydia Atkins."

"Well, Ms. Atkins," Sirius extended his hand to her politely, "my name is Sirius Black. It's a pleasure to meet you."

She looked at his hand doubtfully. Then, a smile began to creep up on her face. She took his hand and her eyes danced with delight.

Without releasing her hand, Sirius ventured to another question, "And what, might I ask, is a pretty girl like you doing out here all alone?"

The small girl had the grace to blush before responding dejectedly, "I don't have any friends."

"Well that just can't be. That's not true at all! I know for a fact that you have at least one friend!"

"No," she shook her head, "I don't have any at all."

"Then you're saying you don't consider me a friend? And here I thought we were getting on splendidly."

"I…"

"Have a friend." He smiled genuinely. Lydia's expression was one of quiet gladness as Sirius released her hand with one last squeeze. She sat down on the floor and leaned against the wall, staring at her lap. Sirius sat alongside her in companionable silence.

"They make fun of me." Lydia spoke after a long time, causing Sirius to look at her.

"Who does?"

"The other first years. I came from a non-magic family and I really don't know anything about it. They call me stupid."

Sirius' brow wrinkled, "The other Gryffindors make fun of you?"

"No. Well, some of the boys do-"

"They're just flirting," Sirius said with a wink, "boys are dumb like that."

"-But the Slytherin's are much worse. Even the older students say horrible things." She looked at him pleadingly. "You don't think I'm silly for not knowing any spells, do you?"

"No, no, no. That's what you go to school for, Lydia, to learn!" His eyes glimmered and he placed a hand on Lydia's arm, "I know a girl who was Muggle-born and now she's at the top of our class. I'll bet you become the finest witch this school has ever seen!"

Lydia blushed again, "I don't know about that…"

"Nonsense. Promise me now. You will become the most talented witch Hogwarts has ever seen."

Lydia looked at him, smiling slightly.

"Go on then, promise me."

"I will become the most talented witch Hogwarts has ever seen."

Sirius held out his hand, "Shake on it."

Lydia took his hand and laughingly shook it.

"Good." Sirius rose, holding on to Lydia's hand, "Looks like lunch is over; everyone's getting up." He pulled her to her feet.

"I've got to get to History of Magic." She stooped to pick up her bag, then turned to face Sirius.

"Then might I have the pleasure of escorting you to class, Ms. Atkins?" Sirius offered his arm.

Lydia giggled and flushed pink but took his arm. James, Remus and Peter walked through the giant doorway in time to see Sirius begin walking off with Lydia.

"Children now, Padfoot?!" James exclaimed.

Without turning back, Sirius waved and called, "See you later!"

He and Lydia traipsed through the halls, passing crowds of students on their way to Professor Binns' room. After a long trek up stairwells and down what seemed like dozens of hallways they reached their destination.

"Here's where I leave you, milady." Sirius bowed gallantly making Lydia giggle.

"Thank you, Sirius," she said, turning and entering her class. After only a moment she ran back through the door and wrapped her arms around Sirius in a tight hug.

Sirius was momentarily surprised, but regained his composure and returned the hug. "I'll see you at supper, okay?"

Lydia smiled happily up at him, then dashed back into Binns' class as the door shut. Sirius laughed quietly to himself as he turned and headed for his own class.

"Cute kid…"

-----

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the delay, I'll be quicker next time!! Keep reading. Hope you liked the chapter. Lydia is a fun character to toy with. Tell me what you think of her, and expect more of her in later chapters. Thanks for staying with me!


	4. Brethren, of a Sort

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Harry Potter or anything affiliated with it. Any characters, items, places, etc. that you recognize belong to J.K. Rowling. Everything else is a figment of my own whacky imagination. 

**Come What May: A Story of Realizing the Inevitable**

Chapter Four: Brethren, of a Sort

Holly and Rosaline walked through the oaken front doors of Hogwarts and into the courtyard. The trees shone emerald in the bright light of the September afternoon. Birds flitted about the castle walls, chirping and chattering and the fountain in the center of the court bubbled loudly. The sun glinted off the crystalline lake in the distance. Holly closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"It's so open here. So refreshing."

Rosaline nodded, "The school grounds are one of my favorite places. I spend as much time out here as possible."

As the girls walked Rosaline gazed longingly at the Quidditch stadium.

"Have you ever played before?" She asked Holly, nodding to the playing field.

"A little," Holly replied, "but never for my school."

Rosaline smiled brightly, "Really? We'll have to play sometime. You should come down to one of our practices when they start. We'll see what kind of skills you've got."

Holly had to keep a quick pace to stay even with the longer-legged Rosaline. They were almost to the edge of the courtyard when they heard someone calling them.

"Rosie! Holly! Wait up!"

They stopped and turned around to see James Potter jogging after them. When he caught up he doubled over, out of breath, "Thanks…Are you…going…to Care of…Magical…Creatures?"

"Have you gotten out of shape, Potter? That's no good for a Quidditch captain." Rosaline teased James who smiled at her through his wheezing.

"I supposed I could…use a little…conditioning."

The small group resumed their walk, heading for the edge of the forest on the border of the school grounds. A number of students from other Houses were also heading the same way. A striking young Slytherin boy pushed past them and Holly narrowed her eyes curiously. He was vaguely familiar somehow, but she couldn't put her finger on it. She shrugged and resumed gazing about at her surroundings.

The Hogwarts grounds were truly beautiful. The hilly landscape was lush and green, speckled here and there with various shrubs and trees. A line of hedges were trimmed into topiary shaped like dragons, unicorns and other magical creatures. On a flat area of grass she spotted a large group of first years gathering for their first flying lesson.

She smiled to herself as she recalled her father teaching her to fly. Her first broom ride had been on an ancient CleanSweep 2 and she had barely been able to hold on. They had zoomed about the British countryside of Fittleworth in the giant yard of her first home. Her father had laughed when she cheered after touching back down, then hugged her and told her how proud he was of her. She suddenly felt a pang of guilt remembering she hadn't written her parents and told them about her Sorting. Holly made a mental note to write the letter tonight when she returned to her dorm.

When she turned her attention back to her friends; they were still discussing Quidditch.

"Sirius may miss a practice or two if we start early. He's got four detentions to serve with McGonagall." James was saying.

"You're kidding! That little tiff got him four detentions? I've seen worse fights between third years!"

James grinned lopsidedly, "He's pretty sore about it. I don't think Snape's getting off any easier either. They'll probably have to serve the detentions together."

"A fate worse than death," Rosaline rolled her eyes. "If he wants to play this year he's going to have to reign in his temper. He can't just go about picking fights whenever he pleases. It doesn't reflect well on us."

"You're not going to kick him off the team, are you?" Holly interjected.

Rosaline smiled, "Why? You interested in the spot?"

"What?" James raised an eyebrow.

"Don't you know?" The taller girl linked arms with Holly, "Holly here plays Quidditch."

"Is that so? We'll have to get a match going sometime!" James' eyes danced.

The small troupe entered a grove of trees on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. In the center was a clearing with benches and a podium. A number of students were already sitting so Holly and Rosaline seated themselves at the nearest bench.

"Looks like Alvin Hamilton over there," James said, looking at a Hufflepuff seventh year, "Think I'll go have a word with him about practices. Pardon me, ladies." He set his schoolbag on the mulch that covered ground and swept off across the clearing.

"That boy's mind has two settings," Rosaline muttered, "Quidditch and Lily."

Holly grinned slightly while surveying the other students. She again spotted the handsome Slytherin boy and watched him. His pitch-colored hair was neatly kempt and his robes spotless and orderly. He sat amongst some older members of his house--he appeared to be a year or two younger than Holly--and was looking around rather self-importantly. He held himself in a dignified manner and when he reached up to brush his hair from his face Holly noticed a gleaming silver ring on his hand.

"Welcome to Care of Magical Creatures!"

Holly's attention snapped immediately to the podium where a burly man stood, beaming. He had blond hair and a short beard that seemed to have a bit of food trapped in it from his lunch. He rubbed his hands together as he looked over the crowd of students.

"My name is Professor Farron. It's good to see a lot of new faces here this year. Tell me, is our new exchange student in this class?"

Timidly, Holly raised her hand. Rosaline grabbed her by the wrist and hauled her to her feet. All eyes turned to her and the teacher smiled. She felt her cheeks burning and shot Rosaline a dirty look. The other girl was struggling to hold her mirth inside.

Farron gave Holly a friendly smile, "A very special welcome to you, lassie."

"Thank you, professor." She fell back onto her seat and pinched Rosaline's arm.

"Alright, no sense in wasting our time. We've got a lot to cover this year. Today we're going to start with Jarveys. Who can tell me what a Jarvey's special talent is? Anyone?"

A Slytherin sixth year raised her hand and was immediately called on, "The Jarvey is an obnoxious ground dwelling rodent with the ability to talk. It is often insulting when it chooses to speak."

Farron nodded approvingly, "Good job, Ms. McCullen, and it's good to see you again this year. Who here has ever seen a Jarvey?"

A spattering of hands.

"Well you go ahead and get your textbooks out and find chapter nine and I'll see if I can find our specimen."

Farron trotted off as the students thumbed through their books. Holly held the heavy, leather-bound text on her lap as she watched the Slytherin boy again. She nudged Rosaline with her elbow.

"Who is that? He looks really familiar."

Rosaline followed Holly's gaze across the clearing, her eyes landing on the young Slytherin.

"Oh…that's Regulus."

"Regulus? Regulus who?"

"Black."

"Black?!" Holly exclaimed loudly. She clapped a hand over her mouth and looked around. No one had paid her any notice. "Is he related to--"

"Sirius? Yeah, they're brothers."

"Why didn't anyone tell me he had a brother?"

"You didn't ask."

Holly narrowed her eyes at Rosaline. She smiled slightly.

"Well you didn't! Besides, what does it matter if he's got a brother or not? It's not like you really know him yet anyways. No one's keeping secrets from you, Holls."

Holly watched Regulus intently. He didn't smile or joke with his companions. Instead, he distracted himself with keeping a haughty expression and glaring daggers at anyone who held his gaze for more than a moment.

"He looks enough like his brother…but he doesn't seem to act much like him." She said quietly.

Rosaline shook her head, skimming over the pages of her book, "They're complete opposites."

"How so?"

"Well, for starters, one is in Gryffindor and the other is in Slytherin. I don't know how you get much more opposite than that," Rosaline said without looking up. "They're from one of the oldest Wizarding families in Europe so Slytherin was to be expected. It was when Sirius was Sorted into Gryffindor the family got a real surprise. They weren't particularly excited about it either."

"Rosaline," James said suddenly from behind them. His face was set and his eyes looked a bit sad. "That's enough."

Rosaline looked up and pressed her lips together, "Sorry…"

"What? What's wrong?" Holly looked back and forth between her friends.

James shook his head as he seated himself next to Holly, "It doesn't need to be discussed."

"What are you keeping from me?" Holly's voice was concerned.

James' face was hard, "Sirius' family life is of no concern to you."

Holly opened her mouth but could find no words for James. She looked to Rosaline who shook her head. No help there. Professor Farron had reentered the clearing bearing a heavy looking cage with a sheet draped over it.

_"Let me out you great buffoon!"_ a screeching voice came from under the sheet.

Farron laughed heartily as only a large man could do. He set the cage down and grabbed the corner of the sheet, "Are we all ready now?" He whipped the sheet from the cage, exposing a skinny, furry creature about the size of a small dog. It was dark colored with alternating patches of black and brown. It scurried around inside its enclosure, muttering to itself. Its beady amber eyes darted around.

_"Ugly! Stupid! Foolish! Fat!"_

Students giggled which seemed to fuel the rodent's frenzy.

_"Hideous creatures. Failures!"  
_

Farron smiled broadly, "Who thinks they're fast enough to catch a rogue Jarvey? I've got two brooms here, how about we see who can get him first. Twenty-five House points to the winner."

"Ooh!" James jumped to his feet, "I can catch it, professor!"

"Then come on up, boy. Any other takers?" He handed James a broom.

No one volunteered.

"Alright then, Mr. Potter, I'm going to release the creature and you'll--"

"Wait."

Everyone turned their attention to the far right side of the clearing. The dark haired Slytherin was on his feet.

"I'll catch the beast before Potter. I usually get the Snitch faster than he does anyways." The boy sneered. James narrowed his eyes as Regulus strode forward and accepted the broom Farron handed him. He eyed it with disdain before turning his attention to James. They exchanged icy stares.

Rosaline tensed beside Holly. She leaned sideways, not taking her eyes off the boys who were now mounting their brooms, "This is going to get ugly."

"Why?" Holly asked.

"James is going in angry. His head isn't clear, he's going to make mistakes."

"Why is he angry?"

Rosaline set her jaw, "We nearly lost the House Cup to Slytherin last year when Regulus beat James to the Snitch. Luckily, while they were in their dive for it, Jonathan and I were both able to score. Regulus got hold of it just after I scored. We barely pulled ahead by ten points."

"If you won then why is he still angry?" Holly asked, perplexed.

"In case you haven't noticed, Quidditch is James Potter's life. He's got a reputation for being virtually unbeatable and he's relying on that reputation to carry him into a professional career. But it's little foul-ups like that which could destroy his reputation and eliminate his chances of going pro."

Holly studied James and Regulus' expressions. They scowled at each other with something deeper than rivalry. It was apparent that there was more to their animosity than a simple Quidditch match. Farron released the Jarvey and it darted off in a zigzag pattern. James and Regulus kicked off the ground and hovered, giving the creature a head start.

"What else is making him angry?"

Rosaline was silent but her face was a mix of emotions.

"Stop it!" Holly turned on her, "I can tell there's more to it than that! Stop hiding it!"

"GO!"

The boys shot off into the trees and out of the class' sight.

-----

Trees whizzed past as James and Regulus flew skillfully through the outer fringe of the Forbidden Forest. The Jarvey was ahead, its quick legs allowing it to keep a distance between the students and itself. It turned sharply every few moments in an attempt to shake it's hunters but they were far too talented in flying to be tricked so easily.

James executed a series of barrel rolls, coming up on the other side of Regulus. Black merely ducked lower to his broom and edged ahead. James tucked his limbs close to his broom and moved even with Black.

They flew side-by-side, neither able to gain the lead. Black snarled and rammed into James, sending him reeling sideways. His shoulder scraped against a tree as he caught himself but he paid it no mind. James narrowed his eyes and struggled to catch up.

"That was a dirty move!" he called.

Black didn't spare him a second glance. James growled and pressed himself as flat as possible, letting the air rush past him. He ducked around low tree branches and dodged brush. Gradually, he caught up to Regulus and they closed the gap between themselves and the Jarvey.

Sunlight hit them suddenly and they pulled back slightly, their eyes adjusting painfully. The Jarvey had lead them onto the school grounds and was making a mad dash for the lake. The ground there would be rocky and it could easily duck under a rock or in a hole. It scampered across the open grass but the lack of trees enabled the pair of Seekers to catch up to it quickly.

They broke through a first year flying class. Children squealed and ran and the instructor was shouting at them.

"Sorry!" James called over his shoulder.

He turned around in time to see a wand pointed at his face.

"Bloody--"

_"Inflictus!"_

James pulled up to avoid the stream of red light. He pulled his own wand from his robes and charged after Regulus.

_"Avis!"_

A flock of enchanted birds materialized just ahead of Regulus. He sat upright as he crashed through them, using his arm to shield his face. He was forced to slow down as James shouted _Oppungo_ which in turn caused the birds to begin attacking Black.

James seized the opportunity to speed ahead and reach out for the Jarvey. He was forced to dive low and weave around rocks as they reached the lakeshore.

The Jarvey began taunting him, "_Slowpoke! Slug_!"

"Shut up, you little bugger, or I'll have you for my supper!" James let it get the better of him.

He lifted a hand from his broom handle, reaching out to snatch at the rodent, but it managed to evade him, leaping just out of his reach. He picked up speed and lowered himself ever-closer to the rocky beach. He was almost upon the creature when it dove into a crevice. James swiped at it and lost his balance, tumbling off his broom and onto the craggy lakeshore with a crunch. He rolled for a good distance, stopping when his momentum wore off. His glasses flew off and landed somewhere out of reach but James couldn't make himself move to look for them. Gradually, he blacked out.

When he came to the face of the flying instructor was hovering over him. His glasses had been placed back in their rightful place, though the lenses were a bit scratched.

"I sent your friend after your professor," she said, helping James sit up.

"Thanks," he blinked dizzily. In the distance he could see his class coming towards him from the woods.

He looked at the ground beside him and saw a few splintered shards of what used to be a Comet 260. James frowned and reached up to readjust his glasses. A sharp pain in his shoulder halted his motion. Bones ground together with his movement and he inhaled sharply at the discomfort.

"Looks like you've broken your collarbone. An easy fix."

Professor Farron reached him first, closely followed by Rosaline and Holly. At the back of the crowd James could see Regulus smiling smugly. He had small scratches on his cheeks and forehead from the enchanted birds and James grinned, satisfied.

"Are you alright, Potter?" Farron kneeled beside him.

"Yes, sir. The Jarvey got away, I'm afraid."

Farron smiled, "Eh, that's alright. Always good to have a few around the grounds. They'll keep pests under control." He paused. "Let's see your arm, boy."

James extended his right arm as much as he could stand and Farron examined it.

"Well that's intact, seems you sustained only minor injuries in that fall, however nasty it was."

"Can't say so much for the broom…" James mumbled.

Farron looked over his shoulder, "Ms. Bufford, can I trust you to get your co-captain to the Hospital Wing?"

Rosaline stepped forward to help James and Holly chimed in, "I'll help."

Farron nodded, "You may as well, class is nearly over."

He turned to address the other students as Holly and Rosaline stepped up on either side of James to help keep him balanced. The journey to the Hospital Wing was slow as James was sore from his crash.

"You're lucky it was something easy to fix and not your skull. That'd take weeks to heal properly and we need to start practice soon." Rosaline said to James.

"You know you don't need to worry about my skull, it's the sturdiest part of my body." He grinned cheekily through his pain.

"You're hopeless."

Holly giggled softly.

The trio entered the Hospital Wing and a stout, friendly-looking woman bustled over to them.

"Mr. Potter, I should have expected you to be the first patient of the new year." She smiled slightly at James.

"Good to be back, Madame Pomfrey." James wheezed as he climbed onto a bed.

Holly stared, wide-eyed at the bed. A flash of a memory ran through her mind.

Rosaline noticed her expression, "What's the matter, Holls?"

_Sirius stood in what looked like a cavernous hospital room facing away from an occupied bed, his head hanging sadly._

"I-I…" She choked.

_"Leave it! Let it scar…"_

"I've seen this before…"

-----

**Author's Note:** I'm much slower at this than I intended to be, and for that I apologize. Alas, one must live in real life at times. I've been doing a lot of working and writing for other things (Newspaper, Creative Writing class, other various fan/fictions). Spring break has ended, and not uneventfully I might add. Carpe Diem, as they say...and I've been Carpe-ing a lot of busy Diem's :) Thanks for reading and check back for CWM 5 soon...maybe.


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